Crosby officially out with concussion
PITTSBURGH Sidney Crosby walked around the Pittsburgh Penguins practice facility on Tuesday, trying to encourage his teammates as they prepared to go forward in their increasingly caustic playoff series against Washington without their captain and the game’s most indispensable player.
The Pittsburgh star is out for Wednesday’s Game 4 while recovering from yet another concussion, this one coming from being crosschecked in the head by Capitals defenceman Matt Niskanen in the first period of Washington’s 32 overtime victory on Monday night.
Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said Crosby will be evaluated on a daily basis going forward. There is no timetable for the two-time MVP’s return.
“He’s very positive and we’re very optimistic and we’re hopeful that we’ll get him back in a timely fashion,” Sullivan said.
The defending Stanley Cup champions lead the series 2-1.
At 5:24 into the first period Monday Crosby was knocked off balance by Washington’s Alex Ovechkin. Niskanen’s stick then caught Crosby flush across the right side of the head and the defenceman kept his hands on Crosby as the star fell to the ice before skating away. Crosby was on the ice for several minutes before slowly making his way to the dressing room under his own power. Niskanen received a five-minute major and a game misconduct.
The league decided against holding a hearing to determine whether the hit should be subject to review from the NHL’s Department of Player Safety.
Crosby has dealt with multiple concussions during his career, including one against Washington in the 2011 Winter Classic that he needed nearly two years to fully recover from.